The workers at ZooTampa have a mystery on their hands — what killed the stingrays at the zoo’s touch tank.
Not one or two of the fish were found dead. All of the rays that lived in the touch tank had died.
Seven cownose stingrays, four southern stingrays and one Atlantic stingray were discovered Thursday morning dead, WTVT reported.
It’s with heavy hearts we share that today ZooTampa lost 12 residents of Stingray Bay. The animal care and veterinary...
Posted by ZooTampa at Lowry Park on Thursday, May 27, 2021
They had lived in Stingray Bay, a 16,000-gallon saltwater tank where guests could reach in the water and touch them.
It was the only place in the zoo where rays lived and they had no other fish in the tank.
Zoo officials are now testing all of the mechanical equipment that maintains the tank, as well as the water temperature, water quality, oxygen and pH levels, WTVT reported.
The results so far have come back normal, WFTS reported.
The stingray remains will also be tested and it could take weeks for the results to come back.
The tank will be closed for at least two months as the zoo investigates, WTVT reported.
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